“A F A r-Sighted d re A m” A t a time when the Arizona Republican was virtually the only newspaper in Arizona, its Midwinter Resource Edition published the first known advertisement for Arcadia on December 28, 1924. Four years after women were granted the right to vote, the area was still touted as only “a Dream of Far-Sighted Men.” Back in the day, $250,000 was all it took for “a group of business and mining men” to purchase the original 250 acres. The plan was to develop citrus orchards and suburban estates. Nearly a month after the first Macy’s Day Parade, readers were urged to buy a winter home in Arcadia. The quaint, unattributed, “Ode to Camelback” calls this monolithic pleasure the “Gibraltar of the Valley.” A larger than life Greek Goddess holds the world in one hand while point- ing towards Camelback Mountain. Perhaps this is Atlas’ wife reaffirming that “in all the world there’s only one Arcadia.” In fact, the origins of the word “Arcadia” come from the Greek “Arkadia” which is actually a region in Greece. Aficionados of Greek mythology would add that this was named for the son of Zeus and Callisto, “Arcas.” Four years after the first World War and five years before the Wall Street “Crash of ’29,” Arcadia’s streets were only made of “good natural road surface.” Water and electric power were sup- plied to the area by SRP predecessor, the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association. Orchard valves were set on subdivided five acre lots to encourage prospective buyers to build “in the protecting shadow of Camelback Mountain.” Reference is made to U.S. Weather Bureau reports that indicate seasonal lows between “38 and 42 degrees for December and January.” Phoenix real estate agent Geo. W. Brown sold the originally platted Arcadia. By simply clipping a coupon, one could get more information about the “climate, soil, location and terms on which home sites and acreage” could be purchased. While today’s homeowner would certainly dispute that “killing frost will never visit Arcadia” or that “Arcadia will be found free of mud in the rainiest of weather,” everyone would agree that Arcadia is “Summer’s Winter Playground.” Summer 2008

18 Arc A di A Home Summer 2008